Tree stand support



Oct. 18, 1966 C. A, HQLMES 3,279,730

TREE STAND SUPPORT Filed April 7, 1965 I N VEN TOR. A CARL To/vAhoL/wss BY www A TTaRNEx/J United States Patent O 3,279,730 TREE STAND SUPPORT Carlton A. Holmes, Duluth, Minn., assignor to Halvorson Trees, Inc., Duluth, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Filed Apr. 7, 1965, Ser. No. 446,318 9 Claims. (Cl. 248-46) This invention is concerned with support apparatus, and more particularly with a foldable, detachable support for a tree stand having -a base with an extending lip.

There are numerous presently known supports of the general type of this invention. Many of these known supports comprise a pair of members in a perpendicular or cruciform shape. Some of these known supports are pivotally connected so that they may be folded for storage or shipment. The support of this invention is novel in that it provide-s a more positive support in interlocking relation with a device, such as the tree stand described in the United States patent to C. A. Holmes et al., 2,928,633, issued March 15, 1960.

The tree stand as described in the cited patent is a free standing device capable of holding a tree upright without additional support. However, when it becomes desirable to use a larger tree, additional support is required. The apparatus of this invention provides additional support for devices such as the described tree stand, and does so in a positive manner by interlocking with the lip provided on the stand, and by having a unique arrangement of flanges such that the stand, when supported, sits in substantially the exact center of the support. The apparatus of this invention is also made to be folded for storage or shipment. Further, the apparatus of this invention provides securing means for positively and releasably holding the members of the apparatus in cruciform shape when unfolded.

In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the four-legged support of this invention shown secured in cruciform shape;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the member comprising the lower two legs of the support as shown in FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the support -of this invention shown folded for storage or shipment;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the unfolded support attached to a tree stand; and

FIG. 5 is a side view of the drawing of FIG. 4.

In FIG. 1 there is disclosed a lower member 11 having a ange 12 projecting perpendicular to member 11 at one end of one side thereof. At the other end of member 11 there are shown a pair of anges 13 and 14, one on each side of member 11. A slot 15 is shown formed on ilange 12 at a point adjacent to member 11.

There is also shown a member 21, having a flange 22 and -a ange 23, each on the same side of member 21 and at opposite ends thereof. Flange 22 forms a slot 24 -adjacent to member 21, and ange 23 forms a slot 25 adjacent to member 21. It is important to note that anges 13 and 14 are significantly narrower than flanges 12, 22 and 23. This allows easy access of a stand to the support, las described below. Member 21 is shown pivotally connected to member 11 by a pivotal connecting means here shown as an upset grommet 29. In FIG. 1 member 21 is shown secured in a cruciform shape or perpendicular relation to member 11 by a pair of securing detents 16 and 17 on member 11. Member 11 is shown having longitudinally extending ribs 18, and member 21 is shown having longitudinally extending ribs 28. Ribs 18 and 28 are formed out of the respective member to lend additional strength to the support.

FIG. 2 is a view of member 11 alone disclosing detents 3,279,733 Patented Oct. 18, 1966 ICC 16 and 17, and showing them to be formed out of member 11.

FIG. 3 shows members 11 and 21 folded for storage. For folding from the cruciform shape, member 21 is rotated clockwise, as may be seen -by the arrows in FIG. 1, until the end of member 21 carrying -ange 22 reaches flange 13 on member 11. At this point the end carrying ange 22 is slightly raised so that member 21 may slide over ilange 13, and clockwise rotation is continued until the end carrying ange 22 abuts with flange 14, at which time a portion of flange 23 will be Iabutting with flange 12. In this shape the support may be more easily stored or shipped.

In FIG. 4 there is disclosed a tree stand 31 having a base with a lip 32 laterally extending around the entire periphery of the base. To connect the support comprising members 11 and 21 to stand 31, it will first be necessary to unfold members 11 and 21 to a cruciform shape, to which shape they will become secured automatically by `securing members or detents 16 and 17. Next, stand 31 is slid over narrower anges 13 and 14, so that lip 32 may be guided into `slots 15, 24 and 25. The dotted lines in FIG. 4 indicate the position of stand 31 as it is being slid over flanges 13 and 14, while the .solid lines represent stand 31 in position such that lip 3-2 is held in slots 15, 24 and 25. Further, when lip 32 is positioned within the three sl-ots 15, 24 and 25, the edges of ianges 13 and 14 will abut with lip 32 to prevent stand 31 from sliding out of the slots.

Still with reference to FIG. 4, it is also important to note that fastening means 29 is located on the intersection of the plane of flanges 22 and 23 with the plane of llange 12. This placement of the pivotal point causes stand 31, when in place in lslots 15, 24 and 25, to be centered in the support. That is, flanges 12, 22 and 23 each meet stand 31 along a line bisecting stand 31. This results in the greatest support for stand 31, and in substantially equal support against forces from various directions.

FIG. 5 shows stand 31 with lip 32 being held by flanges 22 and 23, and abutting against flanges 13 and 14. FIG. 5 also discloses how ribs 28 of upper member 21 are deeper than ribs 18 of lower member 11, so as to be level with ribs 18 to provide a level support for stand 31, when placed on .a horizontal surface.

The above-described apparatus is a unique support for a stand, capable of positively holding the stand without screw-type members often required in prior art supports,.

and offering distinctive features that provide maximum support for the size of the members, and maximum convenience. It Will be obvi-ous that though the support has -been described as used with a tree stand, it is not intended to limit the scope of this invention to a particular type of stand.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. In a tree stand having a base with la laterally extending lip, an improved support for the stand comprismg:

four leg members releasably secured in a horizontally disposed cruciform shape, said leg members being pivotally connected at a common point;

perpendicular flange members on one side of each of Ithree of said leg members, an end of each of said flange members nearest said common point defining a slot along the respective leg member;

further perpendicular flange members on each side of one end of the fourth of said leg members, said further ange members being substantially narrower than said irst named flange members;

said slots adapted to receive the lip on the stand when said leg members are in cruciform shape, the stand being slid over said further flange members so that the iip may reach said slots. 2. The support of claim 1 in which said leg members are pivotally connected by upset grommet means.

3. The support of claim 1 in which said common point lies on the intersection of the planes of said rst namedv flange members.

4. The support of claim 1 including reinforcing longitudinal ribs formed in each of said leg members, said ribs varying in depth between various of said leg members to provide level support for the stand on a horizontal surface.

5. A support for a tree stand having a base with a laterally extending lip, the support comprising:

a rst substantially rectangular plate;

first and second tianges struck upwardly from each end of one side of said first plate, said first and second flanges lying in substantially the same plane and being substantially perpendicular to said iirst plate;

a second substantially rectangular plate;

a third ange struck upwardly from one end of one side of said second plate and being substantially perpendicular to said second plate;

fourth and fifth flanges struck upwardly from each side of the other end of said second plate, being substantially perpendicular to said second plate and being significantly narrower than said first, second and third flanges;

means connecting said first and second plates at right angles at a point common to the lateral median lines of each of said plates;

said first, second and third flanges each defining horizontal slots at the inner intersections of said flanges with said plates;

said slots adapted to receive the lip of the tree stand after the stand has been slid over said narrower fourth and fifth flanges, so that said plates extend outwardiy from the stand to provide additional support therefor.

6. The tree stand support of claim 5 in which said means connecting said first and second plate comprises pivot means to allow folding of said first and second plates.

7. The tree stand support of claim 6 includingsecuring means on at least one of said plates for releasably securing the unfolded plates at right angles.

8. vThe tree stand support of claim S in which said point common to the lateral median lines of each of said plates lies on the intersection of the plane of said first and second flanges with the plane of said third flange, so that when the stand is in said slots said point lies substantially at the center of the stand.

9. The tree stand support of claim 5 including longitudinal ribs formed in said first and second plates, said ribs in the upper of said connected pla-tes being deeper than said ribs in the lower of said connected plates to thus adapt the support to sit level on a horizontal surface.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,030,775 2/ 1936 Twiss 248-149 2,049,407 7/ 1936 Clark 248-46 2,500,215 3/ 1950 Swearingen 248-46 2,665,922 1/ 1954 Bard 248-129 2,786,641 3/ 1957 Applegate 248-46 CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner. o

J. F. FOSS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A TREE STAND HAVING A BASE WITH A LATERALLY EXTENDING LIP, AN IMPROVED SUPPORT FORM THE STAND COMPRISING: FOUR LEG MEMBERS RELEASABLY SECURED IN A HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED CRUCIFORM SHAPE, SAID LEG MEMBERS BEING PIVOTALLY CONNECTED AT A COMMON POINT; PERPENDICULAR FLANGE MEMBERS ON ONE SIDE OF EACH OF THREE OF SAID LEG MEMBERS, AN END OF EACH OF SAID FLANGE MEMBERS NEAREST SAID COMMON POINT DEFINING A SLOT ALONG THE RESPECTIVE LEG MEMBER; FURTHER PERPENDICULAR FLANGE MEMBERS ON EACH SIDE OF ONE END OF THE FOURTH OF SAID LEG MEMBERS, SAID FURTHER FLANGE MEMBERS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY NARROWER THAN SAID FIRST NAMED FLANGE MEMBERS; SAID SLOTS ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE LIP ON THE STAND WHEN SAID LEG MEMBERS ARE IN CRUCIFORM SHAPE, THE STAND BEING SLID OVER SAID FURTHER FLANGE MEMBERS SO THAT THE LIP MAY REACH SAID SLOTS. 